Reptile Forum, Reptile Classifieds - CaptiveBred

puff · Posted: Fri Dec 30, 2005 11:07 pm Post subject: new beardie owner

Hi there,

we're new to this forum and bearded dragons and have been given 3 different types of advice for feeding our new friend.

the first bloke told us to throw in a load of locusts ( dusted with calcium powder ) and just let him eat the lot and not feed him again for about 3 days. He gave us 12 of various sizes and he scoffed the lot! BUT he has been pretty lethargic ever since and hardly touched the veggies we have been trying and this has been the 3rd day since pig out!! is this ok? was he just over stuffed or have we done something wrong?

the second bloke we spoke to inbetween said we should never have been told to give him that many in one go and should only give him a couple a day plus veggies

and the third guy was on the net and he said only give veggies plus locuts or crickets every 2-3 days!

help, what is the correct method?

thanks in advance for any replies and also thanks for the welcome replies ( I just posted in the newbies forum )

Cheers, Greg

Stuart · Posted: Fri Dec 30, 2005 11:16 pm Post subject:

One thing you can always be sure of Greg is conflicting advice!!..lol Very Happy

I havent kept beardies for along time now so wont advise you as to "Correct" feeding regimes as it were..but what works for one may not work for another..There are plenty of experienced breeders and keepers of them on the forum so I am sure someone will come along soon and give you a better answer. Cool

beardie barmy · Posted: Fri Dec 30, 2005 11:16 pm Post subject:

how old is he? whats your husbandry like ie temps lighting subtrate ect

beardie barmy · Posted: Fri Dec 30, 2005 11:50 pm Post subject:

well feed nothing bigger then the distance between the space between the eyes dust the crickets once a day with calcium powder let him eat all he can in a 10 to 15 minute period 3 times a day. feed greens first in the morning and take them out when they start to spoil dont feed meal worms as there exoskeleton is very hard and they carnt digest it properly if its a new addition cover his cage with paper so he can not see out for a week or so it will help him get used to his sorroundings . give him warm baths at pee warm temp it will help him hydrate his body and help him poop lee

puff · Posted: Fri Dec 30, 2005 11:53 pm Post subject: re: new beardie owner

sorry for the delay i've just had a phone call!

anyway, we don't actually know his age but he is about 12 inches long from head to tail if that is any clue to u experts!

he has an inch thick of white calci sand in his 3' viv and he has a 100w reflective spot bulb up one end for the basking area, and a heat mat up the other end and a 24" t-rex uvb bulb 5.0 and the thermometer is showing about 90 degrees

also we were told to turn EVERYTHING off at night. is this correct?

from left to right 110 degrees, middle 85 and far right 78 degrees

cheers greg

Stuart · Posted: Fri Dec 30, 2005 11:56 pm Post subject:

Temps sound fine to me and I used to turn off all heating when I kept mine at night

beardie barmy · Posted: Sat Dec 31, 2005 12:07 am Post subject:

well at 12 inch hes still got alot of growing to do they can grow up to 2 feet its hard to put an age on him but at his stage in life he needs alot of protine when beardies are young there metabolism is burning calories fast he should be eating at least once a day with a good amount of crickets going down the hatch heres a link of whats good to feed them and whats not hope it helps http://www.beautifuldragons.503xtreme.com/Nutrition.html

Scott W · Posted: Sat Dec 31, 2005 12:12 am Post subject:

yep, temps sound ok. I also turn off all heating and lighting at night, temp drops down to 16c min.
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Scott W · Posted: Sat Dec 31, 2005 12:15 am Post subject:

As for feeding, little but often is always best with lizards. This isn't always practical though, as babies you need at least two feeds a day, adults can be fed once per day.

If you need to skip a day every few weeks they will be fine (adults).

I use mainly locust, cockroaches and giant mealworms. Leafy green veg once a week at the moment.
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Please DO NOT pm orders for reptiles, send email instead scott@captivebred.co.uk

beardie barmy · Posted: Sat Dec 31, 2005 12:22 am Post subject:

if your house gets cooler then the 60s it would be wise to invest in a ceramic heat emmiter